All preparations were complete.
They were only waiting for Madara's army to appear.
Just then, someone suddenly rushed into headquarters from outside and handed a letter to Shigeo.
"Lord Mizukage, Sasuke requests to enter the battle!"
"Huh?"
Shigeo was in the middle of checking the reports coming in from all the divisions when he heard this.
"Lord Mizukage, according to ANBU intel, Sasuke has already joined Akatsuki. In this war, he stands on the enemy's side."
An ANBU operative beside him spoke up.
At this moment, Itachi had already gone to the front lines.
As for Mo-nin Village, Shigeo had already recalled every member of the Lanxiang Gate back to South Ink Country, doing everything he could to protect the citizens.
And now Sasuke came to make trouble again.
Shigeo was so angry smoke practically rose from his head. As he strode toward the exit, he snapped,
"No wonder everyone calls him 'Er Zhuzi'—the Second Pillar. He really has reached peak-level stupid."
"Lord Mizukage, if not, we can go deal with him," Jinshi suggested.
Kakuzu followed at his side. He didn't know much about Sasuke, but if the Mizukage needed something done, he certainly wouldn't show any mercy.
"No need. He's here for me. I'll go take care of him."
Shigeo shot out of headquarters.
With a single space–time shift, he arrived at a frontline outpost thirty li away. There, many Allied shinobi had surrounded Sasuke, looking ready to attack at any moment.
At Sasuke's side stood three people: Suigetsu, Karin, and Jugo.
The three of them were tense, scanning their surroundings. In the distance, they suddenly saw a young man walking toward them.
He wore a deep-blue training outfit, with a black Mizukage cloak billowing behind him in the wind. His long black hair flowed down his back, and his face was so handsome he looked like a god descending to earth.
"Where did this ikemen come from? He's way too handsome…"
Karin clutched her chest, unable to hold back her scream.
And in the very next second, everyone was stunned.
Sasuke was sent flying by a single kick.
He had clearly still been several hundred meters away just a moment ago.
But in the blink of an eye, he was right in front of Sasuke—and then he'd already kicked him.
"You little brat, do you have any sense at all?"
"Your brother fought himself half to death to protect you, and you come here looking for trouble, huh?"
"Being on the right side isn't good enough for you, so you just have to play the villain, is that it?"
"Don't even know what you're showing off about, do you?"
As he spoke, Shigeo's fists rained down mercilessly on Sasuke.
Sasuke retreated, drawing the Kusanagi no Tsurugi (Kusanagi Sword) to counterattack.
But just as the Kusanagi lunged forward, Shigeo's Jiton: Jishaku Ya (Magnet Release: Magnetic Arrows) shot in from every direction with a rapid ding-ding-ding, intercepting it.
Then, as everyone watched, Shigeo's body gave a slight shiver.
The Magnet Release arrows floating in front of him all turned a brilliant golden color.
In the next instant, Sasuke's wildly slashing Kusanagi no Tsurugi (Kusanagi Sword) was stabbed to pieces on the spot.
The other three members of Team Taka stared, dumbfounded.
That was the Kusanagi, and he had just… shattered it.
Sasuke's mind worked quickly, and he immediately summoned Susanoo.
This was purely for defense.
If he didn't protect himself now, he might very well die here in Shigeo's hands. That golden Magnet Release just now had only targeted his Kusanagi. If it had aimed at his body instead, then regardless of how fast he was or how strong his abilities were, he'd probably already be full of holes.
By now, two of Sasuke's ribs had already snapped, and blood was streaming from his nose.
Shigeo's eyes had shifted into Sharingan form.
One of his arms had also taken on a Susanoo-like form. Even though Sasuke's Susanoo had reached its second stage while Shigeo was only manifesting a single arm in its first stage, the difference in chakra was so overwhelming that Sasuke had no power to fight back at all.
Next, Mokuton (Wood Release) surged up—branch after branch coiling around, trapping Susanoo in place.
Shigeo's golden Susanoo arm pummeled Sasuke's Susanoo again and again, until it was finally beaten into nothingness, dispersing into the air.
"Shigeo, I'll fight you to the end!"
Sasuke seized an opening and charged forward, Chidori (One Thousand Birds) crackling in his hand as he drove it toward Shigeo.
But in the very next second, Shigeo's figure vanished from the battlefield.
When he appeared again, a massive amount of Magnet Release chakra quietly spread out, clinging to Sasuke's feet. Sasuke tried to break free, but Shigeo's attacks left him no room at all to fight back.
The Magnet Release swiftly crept up over Sasuke's entire body, binding him tightly.
The other three members of Team Taka tried to rush in to rescue him, but they were immediately surrounded by Allied shinobi.
Suigetsu used Suika no Jutsu (Hydrification Technique), intending to join the battle.
But Shigeo simply reached out and grabbed his head.
In the next instant, Suigetsu felt as if he'd turned into a solid block—and then he was hurled away.
So Shigeo had used Hyoton (Ice Release) to freeze him solid…
Staring at his own body shattered to pieces on the ground, Suigetsu burst into tears.
Luckily, the weather was hot enough that the ice quickly melted; only then did he manage to reform in a puddle, barely hanging on to his life.
"Bang, bang, bang!"
Shigeo's fists landed on Sasuke's face again and again, utterly merciless.
"Your brother didn't discipline you, so I'll do it."
"You still can't think straight, can't see straight, you total nitwit."
"People like you are basically begging to be beaten."
"Do you even understand why your brother wanted you to kill him? He was trying to give you a chance, to create a better future for you."
"And what did you do? You didn't cherish it at all. Instead, you turned yourself into an enemy of the six great ninja villages."
"Have you ever thought about what that would lead to? Do you have any idea what he went through for you?"
As he spoke, he threw several more punches.
By now, Sasuke's head was swollen like a pig's.
He looked at Shigeo, tears streaming down his face.
Shigeo was just too strong. Whether it was bloodline limits or simple bare-knuckle punches, Sasuke couldn't endure any of it.
At that moment, Itachi suddenly appeared and stepped between them.
"That's enough."
Shigeo glanced at him and said, "I'll leave the mess between you two brothers to you. But remember this—stop dying all the time. No one's lining up to save you."
"Sasuke, I'm only giving you this one chance. If you dare push your luck again, I'll take your life."
With that, Shigeo turned around and vanished from sight.
He still had a mountain of work to deal with.
Sasuke stared at his brother, utterly unable to believe his eyes.
Itachi had clearly died—so why was he still alive?
His gaze flickered, and Itachi understood the silent question in his eyes.
"It was Shigeo who saved me," he explained.
Then he reached out and grabbed Sasuke's arm.
"Sasuke, I'm sorry. There are things where I was too—"
Before he could finish, Sasuke threw himself into his arms.
All the grudges of the past, all the questions of who was right or wrong—at this moment, Sasuke didn't want to think about any of it anymore.
The only thing that mattered was that his brother was alive. That alone was more precious than anything.
…
The Fourth Great Ninja War officially began.
Tens of thousands of White Zetsu troops surged toward the battlefield.
Previously, Shigeo had guessed based on the original storyline that the main battlefield would be in the north.
But once the war truly began, he realized that Obito had shifted the main battlefield to the south.
In other words, the primary theater of war was now near South Ink Country and the Land of Water, with a large portion of the Land of Fire's territory also being dragged into the conflict.
At the same time, White Zetsu forces were appearing in the north as well.
(End of Chapter)
[[email protected]/Zukooo]